A few months into IBB’s regime as military president, a coup was uncovered. “The Vatsa Coup” as it was known involved IBB’s childhood friend and FCT Minister, Mamman Vatsa a soldier and well-liked poet. After a trial and despite pleas from writers like Wole Soyinka, JP Clark and Chinua Achebe, the IBB regime had him executed.
In his book, A Journey in Service, IBB talks about his relation with Vatsa which he said was defined by friendship and jealousy.
- My childhood friend and long-time colleague, General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, was planning to topple our young administration in a coup.
- A constant part of our relationship as teenagers and young men was a continuous and recurrent peer jealousy on his part towards me
- Among some of our colleagues and the public, Vatsa became known as the Emperor of Abuja because of his robust boisterousness and love of drama.
- Vatsa had paid several officers money to facilitate the coup operation. One of them was Lt-Col. Musa Bitiyong, who was given ₦50,000
- Vatsa tried to escape through the wall air conditioner hole in his detention room but was stopped by vigilant guards.
- Vatsa’s death was a personal loss of a childhood friend. As a human being, I was somewhat depressed to watch him die in such circumstances.
- We used to share a room as bachelors. We would reach out for whatever shirt was available, irrespective of whose it was, and just wear it and head out! We were that close
8.Vatsa and his nine other co-conspirators were executed in March 1986… everyone who had signed on to a military career understood clearly what it meant to plan a coup and fail. The penalty was clear and unmistakable
